Cardiology is the treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in treating heart conditions such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, coronary artery disease, congenital heart defects, and disease of the heart valves. A cardiologist can inform your doctor about new drugs or tests that may be beneficial to you.

Some heart conditions can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle, and can be fatal. Methods that cardiologists use to study heart conditions include stress tests, a monitor to record your heart rate and rhythm, a biopsy, which studies a tiny piece of heart tissue, and an echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to show a picture of how your heart works.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Blood Clot, Peripheral Vascular Disease, angioplasty, Hypertension, Heart Attack, Congestive heart failure, Angina, Atherosclerosis, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary heart disease, Pericarditis, Ventricular Tachycardia, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Cardiac Arrest, Bigeminy, Heart block, Myxoma, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Tricuspid valve disorders, and Aortic valve disorders.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Gastric Bypass Surgery, Open Heart Surgery, Valve Replacement, Valve Repair, Bypass Surgery, Carotid Artery Surgery, Catheter Ablation, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cardiac Bypass Surgery, Cardiovascular Surgery, Laser Angioplasty, Valvuloplasty, Balloon Angioplasty, Atherectomy, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Coronary Angioplasty, Heart Transplantation, and Carotid Surgery.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Cardiac Stress Test, Holter Monitor, Echocardiogram, Blood Test, Sphygmomanometer, Cardiac Enzymes, IVUS, Electrophysiologic study, and Coronary Catheterization.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Florida has 1,959 practicing cardiologists. Broken out by city, cardiology doctor density in Altamonte Springs is 30, in Apopka is 7, in Arcadia is 2, in Atlantis is 33, in Aventura is 43, in Belle Glade is 5, in Boca Raton is 48, in Bonita Springs is 23, in Boynton Beach is 23, in Bradenton is 32, in Brooksville is 16, in Cape Coral is 25, in Clearwater is 51, in Clermont is 20, in Cocoa is 4, in Cocoa Beach is 10, in Coral Gables is 27, in Coral Springs is 15, in Crystal River is 5, in Davenport is 16, in Daytona Beach is 19, in Deerfield Beach is 4, in Delray Beach is 43, in Deltona is 5, in Dunedin is 14, in Eustis is 3, in Fernandina Beach is 14, in Fort Lauderdale is 96, in Fort Myers is 49, in Fort Pierce is 8, in Gainesville is 62, in Gulf Breeze is 18, in Haines City is 1, in Hialeah is 38, in Hollywood is 61, in Homestead is 4, in Inverness is 15, in Jacksonville is 151, in Jacksonville Beach is 16, in Jupiter is 22, in Kissimmee is 34, in Lady Lake is 17, in Lake City is 18, in Lake Mary is 26, in Lake Wales is 3, in Lake Worth is 30, in Lakeland is 27, in Largo is 53, in Lauderdale Lakes is 10, in Leesburg is 26, in Longwood is 11, in Margate is 11, in Melbourne is 30, in Miami is 223, in Miami Beach is 55, in Milton is 7, in Naples is 38, in New Port Richey is 38, in New Smyrna Beach is 2, in North Bay Village is 2, in North Miami Beach is 9, in Ocala is 40, in Ocoee is 19, in Orange City is 11, in Orange Park is 20, in Orlando is 129, in Ormond Beach is 14, in Oviedo is 25, in Palm Beach Gardens is 20, in Palm Coast is 7, in Panama City is 6, in Pembroke Pines is 45, in Pensacola is 32, in Plantation is 29, in Pompano Beach is 19, in Punta Gorda is 12, in Safety Harbor is 45, in Sanford is 5, in Sarasota is 61, in Sebastian is 6, in Sebring is 37, in Seminole is 3, in South Miami is 25, in South Pasadena is 13, in Stuart is 12, in Sunrise is 7, in Tallahassee is 24, in Tamarac is 18, in Tampa is 118, in Tarpon Springs is 4, in Tavares is 9, in Titusville is 8, in Venice is 24, in Vero Beach is 17, in Wauchula is 3, in West Palm Beach is 43, in Weston is 20, in Winter Haven is 14, in Winter Park is 30, and in Zephyrhills is 15.

Florida’s warm and humid subtropical climate makes it a winter destination for many. Population in 2000 was 15,982,378, according to census statistics. Tallahassee, located in the north panhandle area, is the state capital. Tourism is a major industry in Florida, with Cape Canaveral, Disney World, the Everglades National Park, Universal Studios, the Atlantic coast and the Gulf coast all destinations for visitors and residents. Year-round outdoor activities include camping, golf, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing and boating.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Florida has a population of 17,789,864. Of this population, 3,975,071 are under the age of 18 and 2,978,335 are at or above the age of 65.